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Wrestling mourns the loss of Michelle Fazzari
The Ontario Amateur Wrestling Association joins the entire Canadian Wrestling family in mourning the death of Michelle Fazzari. Michelle passed away on Aug. 30 after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 37 years old.
Fazzari was a 2016 Canadian Olympian and a Wrestling Canada Lutte Hall of Fame member.
Michelle won multiple National Championships and had an outstanding international wrestling career. She represented Canada at over 50 international events over an international career that ran from 2006 to 2021. She achieved podium finishes in 35 of those events, including gold medals at Pan-American Championships in 2014 and 2017, the World Cup in 2013, and the Francophone Games in 2013. She was a silvermedalist at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and the World Cup in 2012, and won a bronze medal at the World Championships August 2017 in Paris France. Fazzari was named the Golden Horseshoe Athlete of the Year for 2017.
Michelle Fazzari represented Canada at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, placing 17th.
Michelle had just begun her teaching career in the spring of 2021 when she learned of her cancer diagnosis. The diagnosis interrupted her work towards a return to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 having won the Olympic Team Trials in 2019. She had battled back from a devastating knee injury suffered in the gold medal final of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Just recently in April 2024, Michelle was inducted into the Wrestling Canada Lutte Hall of Fame. Her induction occurred at the Canadian U19, U17, U15 Wrestling Championships in Mississauga, Ontario, where many guests, family and friends came out to support her, showing just how big of a positive impact she had on so many lives.
The OAWA’s thoughts are with Michelle’s husband C J Hudson, her Sister Stephanie and family, parents Tony and Debbie, and to all of Michelle’s family as well as the extended Niagara Wrestling Family and other friends at this difficult time.
A Celebration of Life will take place Sunday September 29, 2024 in St. Catharines.